Archive for September, 2009

Many of us may be skeptical of this new form of PSP. But after taking a look at this video, I’m pretty pleased. I will not be getting one at launch. Which is October 1, 2009. But Neo Windu will be looking for it to be under the Christmas tree.   You have to love it. The box is nearly empty, save for the system itself and the media go package. It’s cool because you can start to download games right away. My hope is that all the older PSP games that I want will be available by Christmas. That’s another article all together. Well, take a look at this and let me know what you think.

Hollywood really needs to grow up. Hmmm, maybe I should have an article just for that. Anyway, with all these comic hero movies that were made and are being made, there should be a better quality of film being made. Sony has Spider-Man, Universal has The Incredible Hulk,  Fox has X-Men, Daredevil, Ghost Rider and The Fantastic Four, and New Line Cinema still has Blade (Does New Line even exist anymore?). Fox wants to reboot Daredevil and Fantastic Four. Sony needs to pray and reboot Spidy. There is talk of bringing Blade back as well as doing another Ghost Rider. And we all know that the Incredible Hulk reboot was just that. INCREDIBLE.

Are we tired of these superhero movies? To some extent, yes. Film has undergone a huge transformation sine the superhero genre first became part of Hollywood.  Certain directors have pushed the standard of comic film up, making it bad for any comic film that falls below that standard. And truthfully, I say it’s good for the one that get bad mouthed. I’m not a film critic. But I love movies. And I love comic books more. It becomes disheartening to see a superhero that has so much going for him/her and see them crash and burn on film.  I’m sure I’m not the only person that feels that way. Most people are just sick of seeing movies that suck.

What can stop this very common problem that plagues the superhero genre? Well, Hollywood needs to grow up. I guess more folks watch movies than read comics. And probably most people watch movies more than they read novels. Aside from the outstanding comedy,or explosive action film, most other films need a good story to drive it. What is Hollywood afraid of. And I say “Hollywood”, because it’s everybody. Producers, writers, directors, Everyone. Comic books have a vast history. As well as characters that have been around for over 50 years. Yet everyone wants to make a new story. They all have their own vision. OK. That said, are any of these “movie guys” comic writers, or sci fi writers? A screen writer said that they have their reasons that they don’t hold to close to the source material. One of them was nobody like to lose their job. When that’s the case it’s understandable. But as I said, it’s every bodies fault. As most readers know, there are various incarnations of the stories of superheroes. You can craft a great story from all the “source material” that is available. But you do need to have a mind for these things. The story and those characters in that story are what make the movie.

Daredevil:

I’m not a huge fan of the Man Without Fear. But like most half way popular heroes, I have some knowledge of. Mark Steven Johnson’s Daredevil with Ben Affleck was good….well to me at least. Anyway, there are some things that need to be taken into account for a reboot. Personality of the main character and his alter ego.  There is no room for “my vision” in that. pick up some comics. at least 5 from every decade the book has been out. This will also help with defining their abilities and powers. Daredevils gymnastic prowess should be in the fore front. With his radar sense, and other heightened senses it gives him a deeper detective vibe than other vigilantes of the Marvel Universe. His fighting style should reflect that. The use of his billie clubs should be more detailed. Example: Daredevil jumps into a brawl against  seven guys. As he starts taking them out, he throws the club. As he dances through the first two the club hits one, ricochets off him and hits  2 others. When he drops the last one, he catches the billie club. Stuff like that. Read the comics. And use your imagination. Bullseye needs a uniform. You may even want to use the new female version. Work on the suit. The first one was decent. Make it better. Not so much real leather as something that may look like it, but is much more flexible and comfortable. If Electra is used, she should be an assassin. And just a one night stand that Matt Murdock can’t get out of his head. Remember we only get 2 hours to tell this story. The Kingpin should rule everything. He’s untouchable. That is why it takes Daredevil to stop him. And lastly Daredevil himself should be very dark, melancholy, and very gritty. He’s not Spider-Ma. He doesn’t pull punches.

The Fantastic Four:

The Fantastic Four films were great family films. Although this a big part of the book it is not what The World’s Greatest Magazine is about. The Fantastic Four is a Science fiction book above all else. Tim Story did a great job with what he was given. The budget for Ironman was bigger though. You ask how can that be? In one hand you have a property owned by Fox Studios. And in the other you have a property solely in the hands of Marvel. You have to admit Fox is a little cheap when it comes to producing comic movies. The first and second FF films should have have felt like J.J. Abrams Star Trek. Not the Brady Bunch with powers. The actors were fine even though Jessica Alba is stunning, she is too close in age to Chris Evans Human Torch. And it would suck to replace him. The Invisible Woman should look and act more mature. And when I say that I don’t mean “old”. She should be more womanly. More lady like. More sophisticated. Mr. Fantastic is a super genius. Let him act like it. He solves problems. Many problems at the same time. And doesn’t show concern for to much else. Until Sue scolds him quite a few times. Tony Stark, Henry McCoy, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym. All these Marvel scientist are specialist in one field. Reed Richards is a master of it all. And will only differ if he doesn’t want to spend time on a particular project. His mind is his character. The Thing was cool. They just need to make him look a lot bigger. Focus on his strength and piloting skills. Anything Reed builds, he can fly. The torched was right on point. Uniforms need work. Look at the comic and moderate it. One very important thing. Get all the facts straight. Reed created unstable molecules. Keep that in mind when crafting the uniforms. Dr.Doom is a sorcerer as well as an evil genius. We need good villains. Research them before you do something lame. Example: knock the Silver Surfer off his board and he’ll be powerless. Poor writing at it’s best. For this group. Family equals team work. They are a family and team work comes more naturally than it would other teams. Oh…..and Galactus is a world devouring demigod that looks like a man. These pics will outline a lot of what I’m saying.

The Fantastic Four is one of the greatest Science fiction books ever. Dig into that mythology. Find all those cool twilight zone things that make it work so well. The Watcher. Annihillus. And the Super Skrull. All these things is the Fantastic Four. The comics are your friend Hollywood. Read them.

Ghost Rider and Blade The Vampire Hunter:

First off, both of these movies should always be rated “R”. These characters are hardcore and require a rougher hand to guide them. To an extent you could treat them like horror films. They actually might come out better. For this generation the Dan Ketch Ghost Rider is much easier to relate to. A more modern story that really doesn’t touch on the past. Not unless Johnny Blaze will make a cameo. Which would be so much cooler than the wild west Ghost Rider,”that still has his powers”. Again with a budget as weak as the script you can’t get the results that are cinema worthy. Instead you end up with something that is a little better than those crazy made for TV Scy Fy movies. Ghost Rider is The Spirit of Vengeance. He’s virtually indestructible. And the rising sun does not make him human. Well not Dan Ketch anyway. “When Innocent blood is spilled. The Spirit of Vengeance will ride forth”.

Blade needs to go back to the basics. Killing Vampires. If you’re going to put a superhero vibe to it, then let him save more people. Have him involved with the REAL NightStalkers. Show more of his vampire powers. Get rid of the serum. He’s a vampire. Let him drink blood. From a convenient source that doesn’t come directly out of someones neck, of course. Blade needs to travel the world. At the end of blade 1 he was killing vampires in Russia. Come up with better villains. I have one in mind. But I’m not telling if I’m not going to get paid for it. But the film should be flashy like the Matrix: with all the crazy kung fu moves and super flips. But also be gruesome in it’s violence. If anyone knows about Dante from the Devil May Cry series. Blade should perform like that. Instead of acting coll though he’s always angry. Never satisfied with the job he’s done. Watch 30 days of Night. 28 Days Later. And Vampire Hunter D. Then you might have a better idea how to make Blade into the superhero vampire hunter he should be. Well antihero.

All and all, everyone involved in the process of these comic films should do a lot of reading. Recommended reading

The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition: 1985-1988

The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe Update “89: 1989

The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe A to Z: 2008

If you enjoy fantasy martial arts films. This is for you. It’s Amazing.

This movie is just……………..WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

We finally get something to look at from Clash of the Titans. Not a trailer but a little decent behind the scenes stuff.

Only for those that are truly GOW fanatics. We have this rehash of the old GOW covers made into a new one. Don’t be sad. Were you expecting new art on this cover? Yea, so was I. But I’ll still buy it. No exact release date given as of yet. Stay close, I’ll keep you posted.

Sony does it again. And Insomniac can just do no wrong.  This cover is way better than the origanal they were going to use. Also Sonys new cover set  up works. Everybody is always “It’s only cosmetic”. Well I love art. And have a pretty good eye about these things. Design, art work, and the logo mean a lot. Maybe not to the average gamer, but to the average consumer all these things come into account. Ratchet and Clank Future A Crack In Time